Kia bulletin PI2106
What it saysPRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (PI2106 FLIGHT 501) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to perform a software update on 2017-2018… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Apr 1, 2026, received Oct 22, 2021, about the engine — 7 documents under this number: PI2106_OWNR_501, PI2106_OWNR_401, PI2106_OWNR_301, PI2106_OWNR_201 and 3 more. It names 2 model years (2017–2018). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationPicked out of NHTSA’s summary below, word for word. The document itself is the record, and the dealer checks the VIN.
What it applies to, as the document itself states it — the build window in the manufacturer’s own words, read by machine from the PDF NHTSA serves. The build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb; the dealer settles a borderline vehicle by its VIN.
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (PI2106 FLIGHT 501) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to perform a software update on 2017-2018 MY Kia Forte vehicles equipped with 2.0-liter Nu GDI engines to protect the engine from excessive connecting rod bearing damage. The update will be done free of charge and will only involve the addition of newly developed computer software for the Engine Control Unit (“ECU”).
Trouble codes it names: P1326 all 1 read from the document itself; NHTSA’s summary names none
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI2106_OWNR_501 | Other | Apr 1, 2026 | 11030378 | PDF, 211 KB |
| PI2106_OWNR_401 | Other | Aug 5, 2025 | 11021640 | PDF, 141 KB |
| PI2106_OWNR_301 | Other | Dec 2, 2024 | 11011217 | PDF, 141 KB |
| PI2106_OWNR_201 | Service bulletin | Apr 2, 2024 | 10252731 | PDF, 210 KB |
| PI2106_OWNR | Service bulletin | Oct 8, 2021 | 10202193 | PDF, 186 KB |
| PI2106_TSB | Service bulletin | Oct 5, 2021 | 10202224 | PDF, 680 KB |
| PI2106_QA | Service bulletin | Oct 5, 2021 | 10202194 | PDF, 111 KB |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 441 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 284 of them name Engine, Electrical System — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
On the 2017 Kia Forte, the 59 owners who gave an odometer reading for Engine reported it at a median of 82,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
I have trouble with my car starting every time get ready to start it I would have to get someone to jump start my car off every time ike yesterday when I got ready to go to work it didn't start it make a clicking noise ike it's the battery but I really can't tell what is causing this problem I have taken my care to Kia dealership they…
2018 Kia Forte · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA May 22, 2020 · ODI 11325535
While my daughter was driving this vehicle it started making a loud noise, then the motor stopped. There was no indication, ever, of an engine issue. No lights, warnings, temperature, nothing ever alerted her. We took it to two mechanics who diagnosed as total engine failure. All fluids were low, no oil. We never saw oil spots.
2018 Kia Forte · Engine · filed with NHTSA Apr 13, 2020 · ODI 11320956
On march 1, vehicle had been parked for 10 min on a cold day after being driven for a few hours and 'engine oveheated' came up on the display. Vehicle was towed the following day to cable dahmer Kia where they said the cause was an electrical glitch and that the car was fine.
2017 Kia Forte · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Sep 5, 2018 · ODI 11124665
In depth: 2018 Kia Forte engine problems → · 2017 Kia Forte engine problems →
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the engine
Source: same model, same component group6 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia Forte under the same component group (engine), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ENG263 | Service bulletin | Aug 5, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: MISFIRE CONCERN DUE TO OVERRUNNING ALTERNATOR DECOUPLER - This bulletin provides information to address unresolv… |
| PI2105 | Service bulletin | Mar 25, 2026 | PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (PI2105 FLIGHT 501) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is cond… |
| TSB_ENG222_R8 | Service bulletin | Apr 3, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES - This bulletin has been revised to include additional in… |
| TSB_ENG222_R7 | Service bulletin | Feb 28, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES - This bulletin has been revised to include additional in… |
| PI2106Y/Z | Service bulletin | Nov 8, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: ENGINE REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTIONS FOR DTC P1326… |
| TSB_ENG243 | Service bulletin | Jun 9, 2023 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: LOOSE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY PARTIAL REPAIR - This bulletin provides information regarding a loose crankshaft pulley… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Kia, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Kia PI2106 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the PI2106 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every Kia warranty extension on file lists the ones Kia has filed.
Which vehicles does PI2106 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2018 Kia Forte, 2017 Kia Forte. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone. The document itself sets the build window: 2017-2018MY Forte (YD/YDm): built 19 May 2016 – 7 May 2018; Forte (YD/YDm): built 19 May 2016 – 7 May 2018 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.